Data communication apparatus and method of managing received data

ABSTRACT

An object of the invention is to provide a data communication apparatus in which image data is managed upon being stored on an unloadable external storage medium. Another object of the invention is to provide a data communication apparatus, as well as a method of managing image data, in which a floppy disk on which image information has been stored is managed in the same fashion among a plurality of apparatus. There is provided a data communication apparatus characterized in that management data for received data managed by the data communication apparatus which has received the data is stored in the external storage device, thereby making it possible to manage output of the data by another apparatus. Further, there is provided a received-data managing method in a reception system characterized in that the first apparatus stores information, which is capable of being communicated to the first apparatus itself, on the external storage medium along with the received data, and the second apparatus, which has outputted the received data, transmits results of output, as well as information capable of identifying the first apparatus itself, to the first apparatus based upon information capable of being communicated to the first apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/280,138filed on Jul. 25, 1994, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.07/861,762 filed on Apr. 1, 1992.

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a data communication apparatus and, moreparticularly, to a data communication apparatus of the type in whichreceived data is capable of being managed upon being stored on anexternal storage medium that can be loaded and unloaded. The inventionrelates also to a method of managing the received data.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In a conventional data communication apparatus of the kind in whichreceived data is capable of being stored on an external storage mediumthat can be loaded and unloaded, such as a floppy disk, the diskettestoring the received data is specific to the communication apparatuswhich has received the data.

In this example of the prior art, therefore, the received data stored onthe diskette cannot be printed out by another data communicationapparatus. In addition, if the management of the received data stored onthe diskette is inadequate and it is therefore attempted to print outthe data using another data communication apparatus, an accident mayoccur in which the received data or managed data is destroyed.

Consequently, if, as the result of "substitutional reception" performeddue to depletion of recording paper or a malfunction in the recordingsystem, the data has been stored on an unloadable storage medium such asa floppy disk which can be ejected from the data communication apparatuswhile it preserves the data, it is impossible to print out the receiveddata on another data communication apparatus having a normal recordingsystem. The "substitutional reception", herein, represents that imagedata is received and stored into a memory or a floppy disk when therecording system fails to output the image data.

Furthermore, it is impossible for a received image, which has beenstored on a medium such as a floppy disk by a data communicationapparatus having, say, a thermosensitive recording system, to be printedout using a data communication apparatus having a recording system whichemploys a laser-beam printer capable of producing high-quality images.

For these reasons, in an apparatus which stores received data on afloppy disk, the capability of a device such as a non-volatile,unloadable floppy disk and the effects gained by using such a devicehave not heretofore been brought out to the maximum degree.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a datacommunication apparatus, as well as a method of managing received data,in which received data is managed upon being stored on an unloadableexternal storage medium, thereby greatly improving convenience.

According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained byproviding a data communication apparatus capable of managing receiveddata upon storing the received data on an external storage medium thatcan be loaded and unloaded, comprising control means for controllingaccess to the external storage medium, managing means for managingreceived data accessed by the control means, and recording means forrecording the received data managed by the managing means.

In a preferred embodiment, the received data is stored on the externalstorage medium if it cannot be recorded by the recording means.

In another preferred embodiment, the managing means manages informationwhich specifies an apparatus by which the received data has been stored,information which specifies the received data, information whichindicates status of recording, and information which indicates the typeof the received data.

In another preferred embodiment, the recording means records thereceived data if the received data managed by the managing means wasstored by another apparatus and has not yet been recorded.

In another preferred embodiment, the apparatus further comprisestimekeeping means for clocking time, and notification means fornotifying of the time at which the external storage medium was unloaded,and of the fact that the storage medium has been unloaded, based upontime clocked by the timekeeping means.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a datacommunication apparatus, as well as a method of managing received data,in which a floppy disk storing received data may be managed by aplurality of apparatus, thereby making it possible to output thereceived data and to readily ascertain the status of the floppy disk.

According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained byproviding a data communication apparatus having an external storagedevice, in which received data is capable of being stored in anunloadable external storage medium, comprising storing means for storinginformation, capable of being communicated to the apparatus itself, inthe external storage medium along with the received data, andnotification means which, upon receiving information from anotherapparatus relating to the external storage medium, gives notice of thisinformation.

In another aspect of the invention, the foregoing object is attained byproviding a data communication apparatus having an external storagedevice, in which data stored on an unloadable external storage medium iscapable of being outputted, comprising transmitting means fortransmitting a result of data output and identification informationindicative of the apparatus itself to an apparatus which has receiveddata, based upon communication information already stored on theexternal storage medium.

According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained byproviding a received-data managing method in a reception system capableof storing received data on an unloadable external storage medium and ofoutputting the received data by a second apparatus other than a firstapparatus which originally received the data, characterized in that thefirst apparatus stores information, which is capable of beingcommunicated to the first apparatus itself, on the external storagemedium along with the received data, and the second apparatus, which hasoutputted the received data, transmits results of output, as well asinformation capable of identifying the first apparatus itself, to thefirst apparatus based upon information capable of being communicated tothe first apparatus.

The information capable of identifying the first apparatus itselfcontains information capable of being communicated to the firstapparatus itself.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate thesame or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of a facsimileapparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the constitution of management dataaccording to this embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating reception processing according tothis embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating processing when a diskette isinserted;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing for printing data storedin another apparatus;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing for initial setting of adiskette;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating processing for ejecting a diskette;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the content of management data whenstorage is performed by substitutional reception;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the content of management data whenprocessing is performed for printing image data;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the content of management data when adiskette is ejected;

FIGS. 11A, 11B and 11C are diagrams illustrating the data in a disketteaccording to this embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating reception processing according to apreferred embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the content of management dataaccording to a preferred embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating output processing according to apreferred embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the content of management data whenprocessing is performed for printing image data by another apparatusaccording to a preferred embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the content of management data when adiskette is ejected according to a preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating processing for receiving managementdata according to a preferred embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In this embodiment, a facsimile apparatus for communicating an imagewill be described as an example of a data communication apparatus. Itgoes without saying that the present invention is not limited tocommunication of an image but is capable of communicating a wide varietyof data and signals.

(I) Construction of facsimile apparatus according to this embodiment

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a facsimile apparatus according to thisembodiment. It should be noted that a facsimile apparatus which receivesan image and a facsimile apparatus which outputs an image both have thesame construction.

Shown in FIG. 1 are an original document reading unit 1 for reading atransmitted original document and converting the same into image data, arecording unit 2 for outputting a received image, a report of results ofcommunication, etc., a network control unit (NCU) 3 for connecting atelephone line to the facsimile apparatus, a modulator/demodulator(modem) 4, a modem control unit 5 for controlling the modem 4, a controlpanel 6, a display unit 7 for displaying the status of the facsimileapparatus as well as management data of a diskette and internal systemmemory, keys 8 provided on the control panel 6 so that the user mayinstruct the facsimile apparatus to perform various operations, and asensor 9 for sensing the status of the facsimile apparatus.

Numeral 10 denotes a memory unit having an image memory 11 for storingreceived image data and the like. The image memory 11 performs thefunction of a buffer for receiving image data when received image datastored on a floppy disk is transferred to the recording unit 2. Thememory unit 10 further includes a system RAM (or system memory) 12 whichstores diskette management data 12a. The system RAM 12 is backed up by abattery so that the stored diskette management data will not bedestroyed if power is cut off, as in the event of a power failure. Alsoincluded in the memory unit 10 is a ROM 13 which decides thespecifications of the facsimile apparatus. The ROM 13 stores programsfor executing processing procedures.

Also shown in FIG. 1 are a floppy disk controller (FDC) 14, a floppydisk drive (FDD) 15, a floppy disk medium (diskette) 16 for storingreceived image data 16b and diskette management data 16, etc., atimekeeping IC 17 backed up by a battery or the like so as to be capableof operating even when power is cut off, as in the event of a powerfailure, and a central processing unit (CPU) 20 for controlling thefacsimile apparatus in accordance with the programs stored in the ROM13.

(II) Example of operation of facsimile apparatus according to thisembodiment

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the constitution of the management datastored on the diskette 16. As shown in FIG. 2, the management data iscomposed of an area 21 for storing a number, such as the productionnumber, specific to the apparatus which has received the image data andstored the received image data on the diskette 16, an area 22 whichstores the number of the diskette assigned by the receiving apparatuswhen the diskette 16 was subjected to initial setting, an area 23 whichstores the number of a received image assigned by the apparatus whichreceived the image, an area 24 which stores data indicating the type ofreceived image, i.e., data indicative of substitutional reception or thelike, an area 25 which stores received-image output data indicatingwhether a stored received image has been outputted, and an area 26which, in a case where a received image has been printed out by anotherapparatus, stores data, such as an apparatus production number, which isfor judging what apparatus has printed out the received image. Datahaving the same content as the above-described management data is storedin the system memory 12 (FIG. 1) as well. This data is backed up by abattery to preserve it in case power is cut off to the apparatus.

The operation of the facsimile apparatus of this embodiment constructedas set forth above will now be described with reference to the relateddrawings.

First, the operation through which received image data is stored on thediskette 16 will be described in accordance with the flowchart of FIG.3. When the NCU detects an incoming call from another party's apparatusvia a line, not shown, the CPU 20 controls the modem control unit 5 tostart image-data reception processing in accordance with a facsimiletransmission procedure. At step S1 of the flowchart, it is determinedwhether the facsimile apparatus has recording paper. If recording paperis present, the received image data is printed out on the recordingpaper. If there is no recording paper, however, the program returns tostep S2, at which substitutional reception is performed to store theimage in the image memory 11. If the image memory 11 runs out ofresidual capacity during the course of reception (NO at step S3), theprogram proceeds to step S3 to error processing. On the other hand, ifmemory capacity is adequate and reception of all of the image data ends(YES at step S4), then the program proceeds from step S4 to step S5, atwhich it is determined whether the diskette 16 has any memory capacityremaining. If the result is that the diskette 16 does not have enoughcapacity left to store the received image data (NO st step S5), then theprogram proceeds to step S6, at which the display unit 7 is made todisplay a message to the effect that the capacity of the diskette 16 isinsufficient. Processing is then terminated.

If it is found at step S5 that the diskette has enough residualcapacity, then the program proceeds to step S7, at which the receivedimage data is transferred from the image memory 11 to the diskette 16.When the transfer of all data is completed, the program proceeds fromstep S8 to step S9, where management data of the kind shown in FIG. 8 iscreated and stored on the diskette 16. More specifically, a codeindicative of substitutional reception is stored in the area 24 for thetype of received image, and a code indicating "NO" (namely that theimage data has not been outputted) is stored in the area 25. The createddata is stored as management data in the system memory 12 as well.

By thus storing the received image data on a floppy disk in advance, thedata can be preserved on the diskette 16 even if power to the facsimileapparatus is cut off. In addition, if the diskette 16 runs out ofresidual storage capacity, merely replacing the diskette makes itpossible to increase the memory capacity of the facsimile apparatuswithout limit.

Next, processing executed when the diskette 16 on which image data hasbeen stored by substitutional reception is inserted will be described inaccordance with the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 through 7.

First, when insertion of the diskette 16 has been detected by the FDC14, the CPU 20 causes processing to proceed to step S11 in FIG. 4. Hereit is determined whether there is any stored data on the inserteddiskette 16. This processing involves reading the management data on thediskette 16 and determining whether a number indicative of the imagedata has been stored in the area 23 for the received-image number. Theresult is judged at step S12. If it is found here that there is norecorded data, then the program proceeds to initial setting processingshown in FIG. 6. The initial setting processing is executed in order touse the diskette 16 afresh as a memory for storing a received image. Atsteps S41 and S42 in FIG. 6, the number specific to the apparatus whichwill receive the image, and the diskette number assigned to the diskette16 by the apparatus, are stored in the management data areas 21 and 22,respectively, shown in FIG. 2. This is followed by step S43, at whichthis information, as well as management data which indicates thepresence of the diskette 16 having the above-mentioned numbers and thefact that this diskette is presently inserted in the apparatus, isstored in the system memory 12.

If it is found at step S12 in FIG. 4 that stored data is present in thediskette 16, then the program proceeds to step S13. Here reference ismade to the management-data area 21, which stores the number specific tothe apparatus which received the image data, to determine whether thisimage data was received by the apparatus itself. If the result of thedetermination, made at step S14, is that the image data is not imagedata that was received by the apparatus itself, then the programproceeds to processing (shown in FIG. 5 and described later) forprinting out image data that was stored on the diskette by anotherapparatus. If the result of the determination at step S14 is that theimage data is image data that was received by the apparatus itself, thenthe program proceeds to step S15. Here reference is made to themanagement-data area 25, which indicates whether the received image hasbeen outputted, to determine whether the image data has been outputted.If the result is that the image data has not been outputted, then theprogram proceeds to recording processing, described later. On the otherhand, if the answer at step S15 is NO, meaning that the image data hasbeen outputted, then the program proceeds to step S16. Here reference ismade to the management-data area 26, which stores the number of theapparatus that has outputted the image data, to determine whether theimage data has been outputted by the apparatus itself. If the result ofthe determination is that the apparatus itself has outputted the imagedata, processing is terminated. If the image data has been outputted byanother apparatus, however, the program proceeds from step S16 to stepS17, at which the management data in the system memory 12 shown in FIG.1 is compared with the management data stored on the diskette 16. It isdetermined at step S18 whether there is agreement between the comparedmanagement data. If there agreement, processing is terminated. If thereis no agreement, the program proceeds to step S19, at which themanagement data on the diskette 16 is stored in the system memory 12,thereby updating the system memory. Next, at step S20, the content ofthe stored management data is displayed on the display unit 7 or printedout by the recording unit 2, thereby informing the user of the updateddata. Processing is then terminated.

If the decision made at step S14 in FIG. 4 is that the image data wasrecorded on the diskette 16 by another apparatus, the processing of FIG.5 is executed. This will now be described in accordance with theflowchart of FIG. 5.

First, at step S21 in FIG. 5, the management data on the diskette 16 isstored in the system memory 12 and the content of this data is displayedon the display unit 7. Next, at step S22, reference is made to themanagement-data area 24, which stores the type of received image, todetermine whether the image data was received by substitutionalreception. If the image data was not received by substitutionalreception, then processing is terminated. On the other hand, if theimage data was received by substitutional reception, the programproceeds to step S23 so this data may be recorded. It is determined atstep S23 whether recording paper has been installed in the recordingunit 2. If recording paper has not been installed, the program proceedsto step S24, at which a message to this effect is displayed on thedisplay unit 7. Thereafter, installation of the recording paper isawaited at steps S25, S26. If the diskette 16 is ejected during thisprocessing, the program proceeds from step S26 to step S27, where themanagement data in the system memory 12 is erased. This is followed byprocessing, shown in FIG. 7, for ejecting the diskette.

The ejection processing of FIG. 7 includes a step S51, at whichinformation indicating that the diskette 16 has been ejected, as well asthe time of ejection, is stored as management data in the system memory12. Here a code indicating that ejection is in progress is set in amanagement-data area 28 (FIG. 10), which is for storing data indicatingthe diskette is being ejected, and the time inputted from thetimekeeping IC 17 is set in a diskette-ejection time area 29, also shownin FIG. 10. Next, at step S52, the content of the management data isdisplayed on the display unit 7 or printed out by the recording unit 2,thereby informing the user. In connection with step S52, it is possibleto adopt an arrangement in which depression of a prescribed one of thekeys 8 is awaited before the display or print-out is made.

If recording paper has been installed in connection with the processingof steps S23 and S25 in FIG. 5, then the program proceeds to step S28,at which the recording unit 2 is started to begin printing the imagedata. Next, at step S29, the remainder of the recording paper ischecked. If there is too little remaining paper, printing is halted andprescribed error processing is executed. If printing has ended (YES atstep S30), however, the program proceeds from step S30 to step S31,where prescribed information is stored in the management data of thesystem memory and in the management data on the diskette 16. Morespecifically, the number of the apparatus itself is set in the area 26,which is for storing the number of the apparatus that has outputted thereceived image data, and a code representing that output has alreadybeen performed is set in the area 25, which is for indicating whether areceived image has been outputted or not. In addition, the time at whichthe image data was printed is inputted from the timekeeping IC 17 andset in a processing-time area 27, shown in FIG. 9. Following step S31,the program proceeds to step S32, at which the content of the managementdata shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the display unit 7, followed by theend of processing.

FIGS. 11A through 11C which illustrate the image data on theabove-described diskette. FIG. 11A is a diagram illustrating managementdata and its image data received and stored by another apparatus throughsubstitutional reception. FIG. 11B is a diagram showing the status ofthis data after it has been printed out by recording processing. FIG.11C is a diagram showing the state which prevails when the image datawas received and stored by the apparatus itself (i.e., not by anotherapparatus).

In accordance with this embodiment, as described above, the followingadvantages are obtained:

(1) By performing control in such a manner that received image datastored on a floppy disk is capable of being outputted by anotherimage-data communication apparatus, it is possible for an image receivedby an apparatus having a different recording system, such as athermosensitive-type image-data communication apparatus, to be outputtedby a laser-beam printer capable of high-quality printing. This make itpossible to bring out, to the maximum degree, the capabilities andadvantages of a non-volatile, unloadable floppy disk.

(2) When a received image cannot be printed on recording paper becausethe recording paper in the receiving apparatus has run out or because ofa malfunction in the recording system, the received image data isaccumulated on a floppy disk by so-called substitutional reception,namely reception in which received image data is accumulated in memory.As a result, it is possible for the user to output the image data, whichhas been received in this manner, by using another image-datacommunication apparatus.

(3) Along with the received image data, management data which includes anumber specific to the apparatus which received the image data, thenumber of the diskette, the number of the received image data and thetype of received image data, such as data indicating that the data wasreceived by substitutional reception, is stored on the diskette and inthe system memory. In a case where the floppy disk has been ejected fromthe apparatus, the management data that has been stored in the systemmemory is not erased owing to battery back-up. Therefore, the fact thata diskette ejected from the apparatus is present, as well as themanagement information of the ejected diskette, can be correctlyascertained. This makes it possible to prevent runaway of the apparatuscaused by ejection of the diskette and to access the floppy diskcorrectly even in a case where the diskette has been reloaded upon beingtemporarily ejected.

In addition, the same management information is stored also on theejected diskette. Consequently, when this diskette is loaded in anotherimage-data communication apparatus, this apparatus is capable ofcorrectly ascertaining the information stored on the diskette and ofexecuting the appropriate processing.

(4) The image-data communication apparatus is provided with a clock.When the floppy disk is ejected from the apparatus, the time at whichthe ejection took place is stored in the internal system memory, and themanagement data stored on the diskette and in the system memory andindicating the ejection time and the fact that ejection took place isdisplayed on or printed out by the communication apparatus.Consequently, if the diskette has been accidentally or intentionallytaken away, the user is capable of immediately determining who took thediskette and can promptly take measures to search for the it.

In particular, in case of a diskette storing data received bysubstitutional reception, namely data stored on a floppy disk and notrecorded on recording paper, a major problem would arise if the diskettewere taken away or lost. This embodiment of the invention is especiallyeffective in preventing such a problem from occurring.

(5) Furthermore, a diskette is inserted into the image-datacommunication apparatus and the management data that has been stored onthe diskette is checked. If received image data received and stored onthe floppy disk by the apparatus itself has been outputted by anotherimage-data communication apparatus, this is sensed and the user of theimage-data communication apparatus is made aware, by a display orprintout, of the fact that the received data has been outputted. As aresult, in a case where a received image directed to a first user hasbeen outputted by a second user without the first user's knowledge, thefirst user need not output the received image data again but is capableof searching for and verifying the received image outputted by thesecond user.

(6) In a case where the received data is image data received throughsubstitutional reception and has been outputted by another image-datacommunication apparatus, it is possible to eliminate a needless secondoutput of the same image data by refraining from printing out the imagereceived through substitutional reception. This makes it possible toconserve recording paper and the electrical energy required forprinting.

In accordance with the present invention, as described above, image datais stored on an unloadable external storage medium and managed, therebygreatly improving the apparatus and user convenience.

(III) More preferred example of operation of facsimile apparatusaccording to this embodiment

In the example of operation described above, if received image datastored on a diskette has been outputted by another image outputapparatus, this fact and information indicating what image outputapparatus has outputted the image data cannot be ascertained unless thediskette is returned to the apparatus which received the image. Asconsequence, even if the image data has been outputted by another imageoutput apparatus, unless the individual who is the receiver returns thediskette to the image receiving apparatus, the individual cannot verifywhat apparatus outputted the received image. In addition, the managementdata stored in the internal memory of the image receiving apparatuscannot be erased unless the diskette is returned to the image receivingapparatus. Consequently, there is the danger that the internal memorywill overflow owing to the management data.

An improvement upon this problem will now be described.

When the facsimile apparatus having the construction shown in FIG. 1stores image data on a floppy disk as by substitutional reception, thefacsimile apparatus' own telephone number is stored on the floppydiskette in accordance with the flowchart shown in FIG. 12.

More specifically, when an image is received at step S61 in FIG. 12, thereceived image is stored on the floppy disk at step S62 and managementdata which includes the telephone number of the apparatus itself is alsostored on the floppy disk at step S63. FIG. 13 illustrates the diskettemanagement data stored on the diskette at this time. The same managementdata is stored as diskette management data 12a in the internal memory 12(FIG. 1) of the apparatus itself.

In FIG. 13, numeral 21 denotes the number specific to the apparatuswhich receives the image, 22 the identification number of the receivedimage, and 24 the type of received image which, in the case of FIG. 13,is one received through substitutional reception. Numeral 25 denotes aflag indicating whether or not the received image has been outputted. Inthe case of step S63, the image has merely been received, and thereforethe flag indicates that the image has not yet been outputted. Numeral 36denotes the apparatus's own telephone number stored at step S63.

Next, if the diskette is ejected and the image is outputted by anotherfacsimile apparatus having the construction shown in FIG. 1, then thefact that the image has been outputted and the time this took place areadded onto the diskette management data 12a of FIG. 1 in accordance withthe flowchart of FIG. 14. In addition, the facsimile apparatus which hasoutputted the image adds its own apparatus number as well at its owntelephone number of its own manager's telephone number onto themanagement data on the diskette, thereby updating this managementinformation. Thereafter, this management data is transmitted viacommunication to the earlier mentioned apparatus that received theimage.

In FIG. 14, the floppy disk is inserted at step S71, whereupon diskettemanagement data 16a on the diskette 16 is written in the diskettemanagement data 12a within the system RAM 12 at step S72. The output ofthe received image data 16b is started in accordance with the managementdata at step S73. Next, at step S74, the fact that output has beenperformed and the time this took place are added onto the diskettemanagement data 12a, 16b. This is followed by step S75, at which theapparatus number of the apparatus itself (the facsimile apparatus whichhas outputted the image) as well as the telephone number of thisapparatus or the telephone number of this apparatus' manager is added tothe management data. At the same time, reference is made to thetelephone number 36 (FIG. 13) of the apparatus which received the image,whereby the diskette management data is transmitted at step S76 to thefacsimile apparatus which received the image.

The management data on the diskette at this time is as shown in FIG. 15.In the diskette management data of FIG. 15, the flag 25 representingwhether or not the received image has been outputted is updated toindicate that the image has been outputted, the telephone number 36 ofthe apparatus which received the image is deleted, and the apparatusnumber 26, telephone number 39 and manager's telephone number 40 of thefacsimile apparatus which outputted the image, as well as the time atwhich the data was outputted, are added.

The end of output is awaited at step S77. When the diskette is ejectedafter the image has been outputted, it is determined at step S78 whetherthe ejection of the diskette took place before or after the end oftransmission of the management data. If ejection took place before theend of transmission, then, as step S79, the fact that ejection tookplace and the time of ejection are added onto the diskette managementdata 12a of FIG. 1 and this information is transmitted to the facsimileapparatus which received the image.

FIG. 16 illustrates the management data at this time. It will be seenthat the flag 28 indicating that ejection is in progress and theejection time 29 have been added to the diskette management data in FIG.16.

It is is found at step S78 in FIG. 14 that ejection of the floppy disktook place after transmission of the management data, then themanagement data in the internal memory and the management data on thedisketted is erased in conformity with the state of the management data.

When the facsimile apparatus which has received the image receives thediskette management data, an operation in accordance with FIG. 17 isexecuted. Specifically, the management data is updated, the user isnotified by a display or printout, and the management data is erased.This will now be described in greater detail.

In FIG. 17, management data is received at step S91 and it is determinedat step S92 whether management data of the pertinent image data remainsin the internal memory. If management data remains, then the programproceeds to step S93, at which this data is updated after being comparedwith the received management data. This is followed by step S94, atwhich the user is informed, by a printout or display, of the fact thatthe received image data has been outputted by another apparatus, thetelephone number or manager's telephone number of the apparatus whichoutputted the image, or information indicating that the disketted hasbeen ejected. Then, at step S95, the management data is erased by aninstruction from the user or after elapse of a fixed period of time.

In accordance with this preferred embodiment of the invention, thefollowing advantages are obtained:

(1) In a facsimile apparatus (hereinafter referred to as the "firstfacsimile apparatus") capable of storing a received image on a floppydisk, the first facsimile apparatus' own telephone number is stored onthe diskette along with the received image data. Accordingly, if thereceived image data is outputted by another facsimile apparatus (alsoreferred to as the "second facsimile apparatus" where appropriate), thefact that the received image data has been outputted by the other orsecond facsimile apparatus is capable of being transmitted, viacommunication, by this second facsimile apparatus to the first facsimileapparatus that received the image.

(2) In a case where another (the second) facsimile apparatus hasoutputted the received image stored on the diskette, the above-mentionedtelephone number is read out and the first facsimile apparatus mentionedin (1) above, namely the apparatus which originally stored the receivedimage on the diskette, is notified of the phone number viacommunication, whereby the user of the first facsimile apparatus whichoriginally received the image is capable of ascertaining that thereceived image has been outputted. By making it possible to erase themanagement data stored in the memory of the first facsimile apparatuswhich received the image, memory overflow is prevented.

(3) The second facsimile apparatus which has outputted the image in (2)above incorporates its telephone number or the telephone number of itsmanager in the notification information communicated to the firstfacsimile apparatus that originally stored the received image on thediskette. This makes it possible for the user of the first facsimileapparatus which originally received the image to acquire informationindicating whether the received image was outputted. Alternatively, itis possible to execute processing in which the manager of the secondfacsimile apparatus is made to investigate the destination of thereceived image or to deliver the received image.

(4) If the diskette is ejected after the second facsimile apparatusmentioned in (3) above has outputted the received image, the first afacsimile apparatus in (1) which originally received the image isnotified, via communication, of the fact that the image has beenoutputted, the ejection of the diskette and the time of ejection. As aresult, it is easy for the user of the first facsimile apparatus whichreceived the image to locate the outputted image and the diskette.

(5) In the first facsimile apparatus in (1) which originally receivedthe image, the management data is stored on the diskette and in theinternal system memory. Even if the floppy disk is ejected from thisapparatus, the management data that has been stored in the system memoryis not erased since the system memory is backed up. The first facsimileapparatus is capable of ascertaining via communication, from the other(second) facsimile apparatus which outputted the received image, thefact that the received image data originally stored on the diskette bythe first facsimile apparatus itself has been outputted by the secondfacsimile apparatus, as well as the telephone number of the secondfacsimile apparatus or the telephone number of its manager. Thisinformation is added to the management data preserved in the internalsystem memory of the first facsimile apparatus. By a display orprintout, the user of the first facsimile apparatus is capable ofimmediately ascertaining the fact that the received image which ititself stored on the diskette has been printed out by the secondfacsimile apparatus, as well as the telephone number of the secondapparatus or the telephone number of its manager.

(6) In the second facsimile apparatus mentioned in (3) above, the imagedata is outputted, after which the management data for this image datais transmitted to the first facsimile apparatus, namely the apparatuswhich originally stored the received image on the diskette, viacommunication. Thereafter, the image data and the image management datastored on the diskette or in the internal memory is erased. As a result,memory overflow is prevented.

In other words, there can be provided a data communication apparatus, aswell as a method of managing received data, in which a floppy disk onwhich image information has been stored is managed in the same fashionamong a plurality of apparatus, thereby making it possible to readilyascertain the output of the received data and the status of the floppydisk.

In this embodiment, a floppy disk is adopted as the unloadable externalstorage medium. However, the same effects can be obtained even ifanother external storage medium such as a photomagnetic disk or memorycard is used. In addition, the present invention may be applied to asystem constituted by a plurality of apparatus or to a single apparatus.Further, it goes without saying that the invention is applicable also toa case where a program for implementing the invention is supplied to asystem or apparatus.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of the present inventioncan be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited to the specificembodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image data communication apparatus capable ofwriting received image data into and reading received image data from anexternal storage medium that can be loaded to and unloaded from saidapparatus, comprising:receiving means for receiving image datatransmitted from a party; control means for controlling said apparatusto write the image data received by said receiving means into theexternal storage medium and to read from the external storage mediumimage data written therein; output means for outputting the image datareceived by said receiving means and the image data read from theexternal storage medium; and managing means responsive to managementdata for managing the image data received and written into the externalstorage medium, said management data including data representing whetheror not the received image data written into the external storage mediumwas not outputted from the external storage medium.
 2. A datacommunication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control meanswrites the image data received by said receiving means into the externalstorage medium when said output means cannot output the image datareceived by said receiving means.
 3. A image data communicationapparatus according to claim 1, wherein said output means outputs saidimage data visually.
 4. An image data communication apparatus capable ofwriting received image data into and reading received image data from anexternal storage medium that can be loaded to and unloaded from saidapparatus, comprising:receiving means for receiving image datatransmitted from a party; control means for controlling said apparatusto write the image data received by said receiving means into theexternal storage medium and to read from the external storage mediumimage data written therein; output means for outputting the image datareceived by said receiving means and the image data read from theexternal storage medium; and managing means responsive to managementdata for managing the image data received and written into the externalstorage medium, said management data including data representing whetherthe image data received and written into the external storage medium hasbeen already outputted or not, wherein said apparatus is one of aplurality of data communication apparatuses having the same functions asthe first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein said management data furtherincludes data identifying which of said plurality of apparatuses wroteinto the external storage medium the image data received and writtentherein.
 5. An image data communication apparatus according to claim 4,wherein said management data is stored in the external storage medium.6. A image data communication apparatus according to claim 4, whereinsaid output means outputs said image data visually.
 7. An image datacommunication apparatus capable of writing received image data into andreading received image data from an external storage medium that can beloaded to and unloaded from said apparatus, comprising:receiving meansfor receiving image data transmitted from a party; control means forcontrolling said apparatus to write the image data received by saidreceiving means into the external storage medium and to read from theexternal storage medium image data written therein; output means foroutputting the image data received by said receiving means and the imagedata read from the external storage medium; and managing meansresponsive to management data for managing the image data received andwritten into the external storage medium, said management data includingdata representing whether the image data received and written into theexternal storage medium has been already outputted or not, wherein saidapparatus is one of a plurality of data communication apparatuses havingthe same function as the first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein saidmanagement data further includes data identifying which, if any, of saidplurality of apparatuses has outputted the image data received andwritten into the external storage medium.
 8. An image data communicationapparatus according to claim 7, wherein said management data is storedin the external storage medium.
 9. A image data communication apparatusaccording to claim 7, wherein said output means output said image datavisually.
 10. An image data communication apparatus capable of writingreceived image data into and reading received image data from anexternal storage medium that can be loaded to and unloaded from saidapparatus, comprising:receiving means for receiving image datatransmitted from a party; control means for controlling said apparatusto write the image data received by said receiving means into theexternal storage medium and to read from the external storage mediumimage data written therein; output means for outputting the image datareceived by said receiving means and the image data read from theexternal storage medium; and managing means responsive to managementdata for managing the image data received and written into the externalstorage medium, said management data including data representing whetherthe image data received and written into the external storage medium hasbeen already outputted or not, wherein said apparatus is one of aplurality of data communication apparatuses having the same function asthe first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein said management data furtherincludes second data identifying which of said plurality of apparatuseswrote into the external storage medium the image data received andwritten therein, and third data identifying which of said plurality ofapparatus, if any, has outputted the image data received and writteninto the external storage medium, and wherein said management data isstored in the external storage medium.
 11. An image data communicationapparatus according to claim 10, further comprising transmitting meansfor transmitting the management data, wherein said transmitting meanstransmits data identifying said data communication apparatus as thethird data to another apparatus identified by the second data, when thesecond data does not identify said data communication apparatus.
 12. Animage data communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein saidmanaging means stores the management data into a memory of said datacommunication apparatus and updates the management data stored in thememory based on data received by said receiving means.
 13. A image datacommunication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said output meansoutputs said image data visually.
 14. A method for managing image datareceived by a data communication apparatus, comprising the stepsof:receiving image data; storing the received image data into anexternal storage medium capable of being loaded to and unloaded from thedata communication apparatus; and managing the received image datawritten into the external storage medium based on management dataincluding data representing whether or not the received image datawritten into the external storage medium was not outputted from theexternal storage medium.
 15. An image data managing method according toclaim 14, wherein the received image data is written into the externalstorage medium when it cannot be output.
 16. A method for managing imagedata received by a data communication apparatus, comprising the stepsof:receiving image data; storing the received image data into anexternal storage medium capable of being loaded to and unloaded from thedata communication apparatus; and managing the received image datawritten into the external storage medium based on management dataincluding data representing whether or not the received image datawritten into the external storage medium has been outputted, wherein theapparatus is one of a plurality of data communication apparatuses havingthe same functions as the first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein saidmanagement data further includes data identifying which of the pluralityof apparatuses wrote into the external storage medium the image datareceived and written therein.
 17. An image data managing methodaccording to claim 16, wherein said management data is stored in theexternal storage medium.
 18. A method for managing image data receivedby a data communication apparatus, comprising the steps of:receivingimage data; storing the received image data into an external storagemedium capable of being loaded to and unloaded from the datacommunication apparatus; and managing the received image data writteninto the external storage medium based on management data including datarepresenting whether or not the received image data written into theexternal storage medium has been outputted, wherein the apparatus is oneof a plurality of data communication apparatuses having the samefunctions as the first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein said managementdata further includes data identifying which, if any, of the pluralityof apparatuses has outputted the image data received and written intothe external storage medium.
 19. An image data managing method accordingto claim 18, wherein said management data is stored in the externalstorage medium.
 20. A method for managing image data received by a datacommunication apparatus, comprising the steps of:receiving image data;storing the received image data into an external storage medium capableof being loaded to and unloaded from the data communication apparatus;and managing the received image data written into the external storagemedium based on management data including data representing whether ornot the received image data written into the external storage medium hasbeen outputted, wherein the apparatus is one of a plurality of datacommunication apparatuses having the same functions as thefirst-mentioned apparatus, and wherein said management data furtherincludes second data identifying which of the plurality of apparatuseswrote into the external storage medium the image data received andwritten therein, and third data identifying which of the plurality ofapparatuses, if any, has outputted the image data received and writteninto the external storage medium, and wherein said management data isstored in the external storage medium.
 21. An image data managing methodaccording to claim 20, further comprising a step of transmitting saidmanagement data, wherein said transmitting step transmits dataidentifying the data communication apparatus as the third data toanother apparatus identified by the second data, when the second datadoes not identify the first-mentioned data communication apparatus. 22.An image data managing method according to claim 20, wherein saidmanaging step stores said management data into a memory of the datacommunication apparatus and updates said management data stored inmemory based on data received in a receiving step.
 23. A datacommunication apparatus capable of writing received data into thereading received data from an external storage medium that can be loadedto and unloaded from said apparatus, comprising:receiving means forreceiving data transmitted from a party; control means for controllingsaid apparatus to write the data received by said receiving means intothe external storage medium and to read from the external storage mediumdata written therein; output means for outputting the data received bysaid receiving means and the data from the external storage medium; andmanaging means responsive to management data for managing the datareceived and written into the external storage medium, said managementdata including data representing whether or not the received datawritten into the external storage medium was not outputted from theexternal storage medium.
 24. A data communication apparatus according toclaim 23, wherein said control means writes the data received by saidreceiving means into the external storage medium when said output meanscannot output the data received by said receiving means.
 25. A datacommunication apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said output meansoutputs said data visually.
 26. A data communication apparatus accordingto claim 23, wherein said data is image data.
 27. A data communicationapparatus capable of writing received data into the reading receiveddata from an external storage medium that can be loaded to and unloadedfrom said apparatus, comprising:receiving means for receiving datatransmitted from a party; control means for controlling said apparatusto write the data received by said receiving means into the externalstorage medium and to read from the external storage medium data writtentherein; output means for outputting the data received by said receivingmeans and the data read from the external storage medium; and managingmeans responsive to management data for managing the data received andwritten into the external storage medium, said management data includingdata representing whether the data received and written into theexternal storage medium has been already outputted or not, wherein saidapparatus is one of a plurality of data communication apparatuses havingthe same functions as the first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein saidmanagement data further includes data identifying which of saidplurality of apparatuses wrote into the external storage medium the datareceived and written therein.
 28. A data communication apparatusaccording to claim 27, wherein said management data is stored in theexternal storage medium.
 29. A data communication apparatus according toclaim 27, wherein said output means outputs said data visually.
 30. Adata communication apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said data isimage data.
 31. A data communication apparatus capable of writingreceived data into and reading received data from an external storagemedium that can be loaded to and unloaded from said apparatus,comprising:receiving means for receiving data transmitted from a party;control means for controlling said apparatus to write the data receivedby said receiving means into the external storage medium and to readfrom the external storage medium data written therein; output means foroutputting the data received by said receiving means and the data readfrom the external storage medium; and managing means responsive tomanagement data for managing the data received and written into theexternal storage medium, said management data including datarepresenting whether the data received and written into the externalstorage medium has been already outputted or not, wherein said apparatusis one of a plurality of data communication apparatuses having the samefunction as the first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein said managementdata further includes data identifying which, if any, or said pluralityof apparatuses has outputted the data received and written into theexternal storage medium.
 32. A data communication apparatus according toclaim 31, wherein said management data is stored in the external storagemedium.
 33. A data communication apparatus according to claim 31,wherein said output means outputs said data visually.
 34. A datacommunication apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said data isimage data.
 35. A data communication apparatus capable of writingreceived data into and reading received data from an external storagemedium that can be loaded to and unloaded from said apparatus,comprising:receiving means for receiving data transmitted from a party;control means for controlling said apparatus to write the data receivedby said receiving means into the external storage medium and to readfrom the external storage medium data written therein; output means foroutputting the data received by said receiving means and the image dataread from the external storage medium; and managing means responsive tomanagement data for managing the data received and written into theexternal storage medium, said management data including datarepresenting whether the data received and written into the externalstorage medium has been already outputted or not, wherein said apparatusis one of a plurality of data communication apparatuses having the samefunction as the first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein said managementdata further includes second data identifying which of said plurality ofapparatuses wrote into the external storage medium the data received andwritten therein, and third data identifying which of said plurality ofapparatus, if any, has outputted the data received and written into theexternal storage medium, and wherein said management data is stored inthe external storage medium.
 36. A data communication apparatusaccording to claim 35, further comprising transmitting means fortransmitting the management data, wherein said transmitting meanstransmits data identifying said data communication apparatus as thethird data to another apparatus identified by the second data, when thesecond data does not identify said data communication apparatus.
 37. Adata communication apparatus according to claim 35, wherein saidmanaging means stores the management data into a memory of said datacommunication apparatus and updates the management data stored in thememory based on data received by said receiving means.
 38. A datacommunication apparatus according to claim 35, wherein said output meansoutputs said data visually.
 39. A data communication apparatus accordingto claim 35, wherein said data is image data.
 40. A storage mediumhaving a program stored therein such that, when the program is executedby a machine, said machine functions as an image data communicationapparatus capable of writing received image data into and readingreceived image data from an external storage medium that can be loadedto and unloaded from said apparatus, said apparatus comprising:receivingmeans for receiving image data transmitted from a party; control meansfor controlling said apparatus to write the image data received by saidreceiving means into the external storage medium and to read from theexternal storage medium image data written therein; output means foroutputting the image data received by said receiving means and the imagedata read from the external storage medium; and managing meansresponsive to management data for managing the image data received andwritten into the external storage medium, said management data includingdata representing whether or not the received image data written intothe external storage medium was not outputted from the external storagemedium.
 41. A storage medium according to claim 40, wherein said controlmeans writes the image data received by said receiving means into theexternal storage medium when said output means cannot output the imagedata received by said receiving means.
 42. A storage medium having aprogram stored therein such that, when the program is executed by amachine, said machine function as an image data communication apparatuscapable of writing received image data into and reading received imagedata from an external storage medium that can be loaded to and unloadedfrom said apparatus, said apparatus comprising:receiving means forreceiving image data transmitted from a party; control means forcontrolling said apparatus to write the image data received by saidreceiving means into the external storage medium and to read from theexternal storage medium image data written therein; output means foroutputting the image data received by said receiving means and the imagedata read from the external storage medium; and managing meansresponsive to management data for managing the image data received andwritten into the external storage medium, said management data includingdata representing whether the image data received and written into theexternal storage medium has been already outputted or not, wherein saidapparatus is one of a plurality of data communication apparatuses havingthe same functions as the first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein saidmanagement data further includes data identifying which of saidplurality of apparatuses wrote into the external storage medium theimage data received and written therein.
 43. A storage medium accordingto claim 42, wherein said management data is stored in the externalstorage medium.
 44. A storage medium having a program stored thereinsuch that, when the program is executed by a machine, said machinefunction as an image data communication apparatus capable of writingreceived image data into and reading received image data from anexternal storage medium that can be loaded to and unloaded from saidapparatus, said apparatus comprising:receiving means for receiving imagedata transmitted from a party; control means for controlling saidapparatus to write the image data received by said receiving means intothe external storage medium and to read from the external storage mediumimage data written therein; output means for outputting the image datareceived by said receiving means and the image data read from theexternal storage medium; and managing means responsive to managementdata for managing the image data received and written into the externalstorage medium, said management data including data representing whetherthe image data received and written into the external storage medium hasbeen already outputted or not, wherein said apparatus is one of aplurality of data communication apparatuses having the same function asthe first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein said management data furtherincludes data identifying which, if any, of said plurality ofapparatuses has outputted the image data received and written into theexternal storage medium.
 45. A storage medium according to claim 44,wherein said management data is stored in the external storage medium.46. A storage medium having a program stored therein such that, when theprogram is executed by a machine, said machine function as an image datacommunication apparatus capable of writing received image data into andreading received image data from an external storage medium that can beloaded to and unloaded from said apparatus, said apparatuscomprising:receiving means for receiving image data transmitted from aparty; control means for controlling said apparatus to write the imagedata received by said receiving means into the external storage mediumand to read from the external storage medium image data written therein;output means for outputting the image data received by said receivingmeans and the image data read from the external storage medium; andmanaging means responsive to management data for managing the image datareceived and written into the external storage medium, said managementdata including data representing whether the image data received andwritten into the external storage medium has been already outputted ornot, wherein said apparatus is one of a plurality of data communicationapparatuses having the same function as the first-mentioned apparatus,and wherein said management data further includes second dataidentifying which of said plurality of apparatuses wrote into theexternal storage medium the image data received and written therein, andthird data identifying which of said plurality of apparatus, if any, hasoutputted the image data received and written into the external storagemedium, and wherein said management data is stored in the externalstorage medium.
 47. A storage medium according to claim 46, saidapparatus further comprising transmitting means for transmitting themanagement data, wherein said transmitting means transmits dataidentifying said data communication apparatus as the third data toanother apparatus identified by the second data, when the second datadoes not identify said data communication apparatus.
 48. A storagemedium according to claim 46, wherein said managing means stores themanagement data into a memory of said data communication apparatus andupdates the management data stored in the memory based on data receivedby said receiving means.
 49. A storage medium having a program storedtherein such that, when the program is executed by a machine, saidmachine function as a data communication apparatus capable of writingreceived data into the reading received data from an external storagemedium that can be loaded to and unloaded from said apparatus, saidapparatus comprising:receiving means for receiving data transmitted froma party; control means for controlling said apparatus to write the datareceived by said receiving means into the external storage medium and toread from the external storage medium data written therein; output meansfor outputting the data received by said receiving means and the datafrom the external storage medium; and managing means responsive tomanagement data for managing the data received and written into theexternal storage medium, said management data including datarepresenting whether or not the received data written into the externalstorage medium was not outputted from the external storage medium.
 50. Astorage medium according to claim 49, wherein said control means writesthe data received by said receiving means into the external storagemedium when said output means cannot output the data received by saidreceiving means.
 51. A storage medium according to claim 49, whereinsaid output means outputs said data visually.
 52. A storage mediumaccording to claim 49, wherein said data is image data.
 53. A storagemedium having a program stored therein such that, when the program isexecuted by a machine, said machine function as a data communicationapparatus capable of writing received data into the reading receiveddata from an external storage medium that can be loaded to and unloadedfrom said apparatus, said apparatus comprising:receiving means forreceiving data transmitted from a party; control means for controllingsaid apparatus to write the data received by said receiving means intothe external storage medium and to read from the external storage mediumdata written therein; output means for outputting the data received bysaid receiving means and the data read from the external storage medium;and managing means responsive to management data for managing the datareceived and written into the external storage medium, said managementdata including data representing whether the data received and writteninto the external storage medium has been already outputted or not,wherein said apparatus is one of a plurality of data communicationapparatuses having the same functions as the first-mentioned apparatus,and wherein said management data further includes data identifying whichof said plurality of apparatuses wrote into the external storage mediumthe data received and written therein.
 54. A storage medium according toclaim 53, wherein said management data is stored in the external storagemedium.
 55. A storage medium according to claim 53, wherein said outputmeans outputs said data visually.
 56. A storage medium according toclaim 53, wherein said data is image data.
 57. A storage medium having aprogram stored therein such that, when the program is executed by amachine, said machine function as a data communication apparatus capableof writing received data into and reading received data from an externalstorage medium that can be loaded to and unloaded from said apparatus,comprising:receiving means for receiving data transmitted from a party;control means for controlling said apparatus to write the data receivedby said receiving means into the external storage medium and to readfrom the external storage medium data written therein; output means foroutputting the data received by said receiving means and the data readfrom the external storage medium; and managing means responsive tomanagement data for managing the data received and written into theexternal storage medium, said management data including datarepresenting whether the data received and written into the externalstorage medium has been already outputted or not, wherein said apparatusis one of a plurality of data communication apparatuses having the samefunction as the first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein said managementdata further includes data identifying which, if any, or said pluralityof apparatuses has outputted the data received and written into theexternal storage medium.
 58. A storage medium according to claim 57,wherein said management data is stored in the external storage medium.59. A storage medium according to claim 57, wherein said output meansoutputs said data visually.
 60. A storage medium according to claim 57,wherein said data is image data.
 61. A storage medium having a programstored therein such that, when the program is executed by a machine,said machine function as a data communication apparatus capable ofwriting received data into and reading received data from an externalstorage medium that can be loaded to and unloaded from said apparatus,said apparatus comprising:receiving means for receiving data transmittedfrom a party; control means for controlling said apparatus to write thedata received by said receiving means into the external storage mediumand to read from the external storage medium data written therein;output means for outputting the data received by said receiving meansand the image data read from the external storage medium; and managingmeans responsive to management data for managing the data received andwritten into the external storage medium, said management data includingdata representing whether the data received and written into theexternal storage medium has been already outputted or not, wherein saidapparatus is one of a plurality of data communication apparatuses havingthe same function as the first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein saidmanagement data further includes second data identifying which of saidplurality of apparatuses wrote into the external storage medium the datareceived and written therein, and third data identifying which of saidplurality of apparatus, if any, has outputted the data received andwritten into the external storage medium, and wherein said managementdata is stored in the external storage medium.
 62. A storage mediumaccording to claim 61, said apparatus further comprising transmittingmeans for transmitting the management data, wherein said transmittingmeans transmits data identifying said data communication apparatus asthe third data to another apparatus identified by the second data, whenthe second data does not identify said data communication apparatus. 63.A storage medium according to claim 61, wherein said managing meansstores the management data into a memory of said data communicationapparatus and updates the management data stored in the memory based ondata received by said receiving means.
 64. A storage medium according toclaim 61, wherein said output means outputs said data visually.
 65. Astorage medium according to claim 61, wherein said data is image data.66. A method of controlling a data communication apparatus capable ofwriting received data into the reading received data from an externalstorage medium that can be loaded to and unloaded from the apparatus,comprising:a receiving step for receiving data transmitted from a party;a control step for controlling the apparatus to write the data receivedby said receiving step into the external storage medium and to read fromthe external storage medium data written therein; an output step foroutputting the data received by said receiving step and the data fromthe external storage medium; and a managing step responsive tomanagement data for managing the data received and written into theexternal storage medium, said management data including datarepresenting whether or not the received data written into the externalstorage medium was not outputted from the external storage medium.
 67. Amethod according to claim 66, wherein said control step writes the datareceived by said receiving step into the external storage medium whensaid output step cannot output the data received by said receiving step.68. A method according to claim 66, wherein said output step outputssaid data visually.
 69. A method according to claim 66, wherein saiddata is image data.
 70. A method of controlling a data communicationapparatus capable of writing received data into the reading receiveddata from an external storage medium that can be loaded to and unloadedfrom the apparatus, comprising:a receiving step for receiving datatransmitted from a party; a control step for controlling the apparatusto write the data received by said receiving step into the externalstorage medium and to read from the external storage medium data writtentherein; an output step for outputting the data received by saidreceiving step and the data read from the external storage medium; and amanaging step responsive to management data for managing the datareceived and written into the external storage medium, said managementdata including data representing whether the data received and writteninto the external storage medium has been already outputted or not,wherein the apparatus is one of a plurality of data communicationapparatuses having the same functions as the first-mentioned apparatus,and wherein said management data further includes data identifying whichof said plurality of apparatuses wrote into the external storage mediumthe data received and written therein.
 71. A method according to claim70, wherein said management data is stored in the external storagemedium.
 72. A method according to claim 70, wherein said output stepoutputs said data visually.
 73. A method according to claim 70, whereinsaid data is image data.
 74. A method of controlling a datacommunication apparatus capable of writing received data into andreading received data from an external storage medium that can be loadedto and unloaded from the apparatus, comprising:a receiving step forreceiving data transmitted from a party; a control step for controllingthe apparatus to write the data received by said receiving step into theexternal storage medium and to read from the external storage mediumdata written therein; an output step for outputting the data received bysaid receiving step and the data read from the external storage medium;and a managing step responsive to management data for managing the datareceived and written into the external storage medium, said managementdata including data representing whether the data received and writteninto the external storage medium has been already outputted or not,wherein the apparatus is one of a plurality of data communicationapparatuses having the same function as the first-mentioned apparatus,and wherein said management data further includes data identifyingwhich, if any, or said plurality of apparatuses has outputted the datareceived and written into the external storage medium.
 75. A methodaccording to claim 74, wherein said management data is stored in theexternal storage medium.
 76. A method according to claim 74, whereinsaid output step outputs said data visually.
 77. A method according toclaim 74, wherein said data is image data.
 78. A method of controlling adata communication apparatus capable of writing received data into andreading received data from an external storage medium that can be loadedto and unloaded from the apparatus, comprising:a receiving step forreceiving data transmitted from a party; a control step for controllingthe apparatus to write the data received by said receiving step into theexternal storage medium and to read from the external storage mediumdata written therein; an output step for outputting the data received bysaid receiving step and the image data read from the external storagemedium; and a managing step responsive to management data for managingthe data received and written into the external storage medium, saidmanagement data including data representing whether the data receivedand written into the external storage medium has been already outputtedor not, wherein the apparatus is one of a plurality of datacommunication apparatuses having the same function as thefirst-mentioned apparatus, and wherein said management data furtherincludes second data identifying which of said plurality of apparatuseswrote into the external storage medium the data received and writtentherein, and third data identifying which of said plurality ofapparatuses, if any, has outputted the data received and written intothe external storage medium, and wherein said management data is storedin the external storage medium.
 79. A method according to claim 78,further comprising a transmitting step for transmitting the managementdata, wherein said transmitting step transmits data identifying the datacommunication apparatus as the third data to another apparatusidentified by the second data, when the second data does not identifythe data communication apparatus.
 80. A method according to claim 78,wherein said managing step stores the management data into a memory ofthe data communication apparatus and updates the management data storedin the memory based on data received by said receiving step.
 81. Amethod according to claim 78, wherein said output step outputs said datavisually.
 82. A method according to claim 78, wherein said data is imagedata.
 83. A data reception apparatus capable of writing received datainto and reading received data from an external storage medium that canbe loaded to and unloaded from said apparatus, comprising:receivingmeans for receiving data transmitted from a party; control means forcontrolling said apparatus to write the data received by said receivingmeans into the external storage medium and to read from the externalstorage medium data written therein; output means for outputting thedata read from the external storage medium; and managing meansresponsive to management data for managing the data received and writteninto the external storage medium, wherein said apparatus is one of aplurality of data communication apparatuses having the same functions asthe first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein said management data furtherincludes data identifying which of the plurality of apparatuses wroteinto the external storage medium the data received and written therein.84. A data reception apparatus according to claim 83, wherein saidcontrol means writes the data received by said receiving means into theexternal storage medium when said output means cannot output the datareceived by said receiving means.
 85. A data reception apparatusaccording to claim 83, wherein said management data is stored in theexternal storage medium.
 86. A data reception apparatus according toclaim 83, wherein said output means outputs the data received by saidreceiving means.
 87. A data reception apparatus according to claim 83,wherein said output means outputs said data visually.
 88. A datareception apparatus according to claim 83, wherein said data is imagedata.
 89. A data reception apparatus according to claim 83, wherein saiddata reception apparatus is a facsimile apparatus.
 90. A data receptionapparatus according to claim 83, wherein the external storage medium isa floppy disk.
 91. A data reception apparatus according to claim 83,wherein the external storage medium is a photomagnetic disk.
 92. A datareception apparatus according to claim 83, wherein the external storagemedium is a memory card.
 93. A data reception apparatus according toclaim 83, further comprising a memory for storing said management data.94. A data reception apparatus according to claim 93, further comprisinga memory for storing said identification data.
 95. A data receptionapparatus according to claim 83, wherein said management data includesidentification data for identifying one of a plurality of data stored inthe external storage medium.
 96. A data reception apparatus according toclaim 95, wherein said identification data is stored in the externalstorage medium.
 97. A data reception apparatus capable of writingreceived data into and reading received data from an external storagemedium that can be loaded to and unloaded from said apparatus,comprising:receiving means for receiving data transmitted from a party;control means for controlling said apparatus to write the data receivedby said receiving means into the external storage medium and to readfrom the external storage medium data written therein; output means foroutputting the data read from the external storage medium; and managingmeans responsive to management data for managing the data received andwritten into the external storage medium, wherein said apparatus is oneof a plurality of data communication apparatuses having the samefunction as the first-mentioned apparatus, and wherein said managementdata further includes data identifying which, if any, of the pluralityof apparatuses has outputted the data received and written into theexternal storage medium.
 98. A data reception apparatus according toclaim 97, wherein said control means writes the data received by saidreceiving means into the external storage medium when said output meanscannot output the data received by said receiving means.
 99. A datareception apparatus according to claim 97, wherein said management datais stored in the external storage medium.
 100. A data receptionapparatus according to claim 97, wherein said output means outputs thedata received by said receiving means.
 101. A data reception apparatusaccording to claim 97, wherein said output means outputs said datavisually.
 102. A data reception apparatus according to claim 97, whereinsaid data is image data.
 103. A data reception apparatus according toclaim 93, wherein said data reception apparatus is a facsimileapparatus.
 104. A data reception apparatus according to claim 97,wherein the external storage medium is a floppy disk.
 105. A datareception apparatus according to claim 97, wherein the external storagemedium is a photomagnetic disk.
 106. A data reception apparatusaccording to claim 97, wherein the external storage medium is a memorycard.
 107. A data reception apparatus according to claim 97, furthercomprising a memory for storing said management data.
 108. A datareception apparatus according to claim 97, wherein said management dataincludes identification data for identifying one of a plurality of datastored in the external storage medium.
 109. A data reception apparatusaccording to claim 108, further comprising a memory for storing saiddata identification.
 110. A data reception apparatus according to claim108, wherein said identification data is stored in the external storagemedium.